The present invention relates to a vehicle navigation system that automatically determines a drive route from a current position of a vehicle to a designated destination or destinations, along which the driver may drive the vehicle without going astray. The present invention specifically relates to input of a destination by the driver or user in operation of the vehicle navigation system.
Japanese patent publication No. 8-95736 discloses a navigation system in which a number of destinations are classified into groups including, for example, golf courses, amusement parks, skiing grounds, restaurants, hotels, highway interchanges, etc. A display first provides a group select menu showing a list of the groups, from which the user may select one group which is believed to include a destination where he or she wants to go. In actual application, since the display size is not sufficiently large to represent all of the group names, the group select menu comprises a plurality of menu pictures. For example, only xe2x80x9cGOLF COURSESxe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cOTHERSxe2x80x9d appear on a first menu picture. When the desired destination is one of the golf courses, this group is selected by a finger touch on a touch panel of the display or with another input device, so that the display is switched to provide a destination input menu showing a list of destinations classified in the selected group. In the above-described example, since the user has selected xe2x80x9cGOLF COURSESxe2x80x9d in the group input menu, a list of names of the golf courses will appear on the destination input menu of the display, whereby the user may choose any one of the golf courses via the input device such as a touch panel. Thus, the selected golf course is inputted as a destination.
When the destination to be designated is not a golf course, the user touches a column of xe2x80x9cOTHERSxe2x80x9d appearing on the first menu picture so that the display is changed to provide a second menu picture on which other group names such as xe2x80x9cAMUSEMENT PARKSxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cSKIING GROUNDSxe2x80x9d, etc. now appear. The second menu picture also includes a touch panel section shown as xe2x80x9cNEXTxe2x80x9d, which is depressed to switch the display to a third menu picture on which still other group names should appear. The user repeats such picture renewal operation until a group into which the destination to be designated is classified appears on the display.
The above-described prior art system is of more help in the user""s selection and input of the destination as compared with selection of a desired one from a number of uncategorized destinations stored in the memory. However, in accordance with the above-described prior art, each group of menu pictures of the group select menu has a fixed pattern in which several groups are arranged in a predetermined order and layout. The user may designate differently categorized destinations day by day and case by case. When the single navigation system mounted on a vehicle may be used by two or more users, they may have different behavioral patterns that tend to select destinations in different groups. In summary, the above-described prior art has a disadvantage that the input menu pattern is fixed and can not be changed according to the pattern of the user""s behavior. Consequently, the user is often obliged to depress the touch panel section xe2x80x9cNEXTxe2x80x9d again and again to renew the displayed pictures until a menu picture indicating a group in which the user""s desired destination is categorized appears.
Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a vehicle navigation system in which any destination that the user desires is easy to select and input.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle navigation system in which a display is controlled to change a display pattern in response to the user""s behavior schedule which may vary day by day or case by case, thereby assisting the user""s destination selection and input operation.
Still another object of the present invention is to simplify the user""s operation for selection and input of a destination which, in turn, facilitates determination of a recommended drive route from the current position to the destination in a vehicle navigation system.
To achieve the above objects, in accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a destination input device in a vehicle navigation system that determines a drive route from a current position to a destination to be inputted by a user, comprising a first memory that stores a plurality of destinations which are categorized into several groups; first input means for inputting a behavioral schedule of the user; first display control means that controls a display to provide a group selection menu picture representing a predetermined combination of the groups, in accordance with the user""s behavioral schedule input by said first input means; second input means for selecting a specific one of the groups appearing on said display; second display control means for controlling the display to provide a destination input menu picture representing a plurality of destinations included in the selected group; and third input means for selecting a desired destination from among those appearing on said display.
In the destination input device of the present invention, a number of destinations are, in advance, classified or categorized into a plurality of groups depending upon the user""s behavioral schedule, which are stored in the memory. The display is first controlled to provide a group selection menu display on which a predetermined combination of the groups appears. A specific one of the group selection menu displays is determined in accordance with the user""s behavioral schedule input through the first input means. Accordingly, a group selection menu picture first appearing on the display may vary day by day, case by case, and user by user, because the user""s behavioral schedule is not always the same. In accordance with the prior art navigation system, the user is often obliged to repeat operation for picture renewal of the display, until a pertinent group is found on the display. In accordance with the present invention, however, the user may readily select a pertinent group, since a first menu picture of the display, which is controlled by the first display control means and determined in response to the user""s behavioral schedule, will most likely include a pertinent group containing a destination that the user desires. When the user selects one of the groups on the first menu picture of the display through the second input means, the display is then controlled to provide a destination selection menu picture on which a plurality of destinations that are categorized in the selected group will now appear. Since the destination that the user desires will surely be included in a destination list of the destination selection menu picture, this may readily be selected by the third input means.
The destinations are stored in the memory as having been categorized into one of predetermined groups including, for example, xe2x80x9cRESTAURANTSxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cAMUSEMENT PARKSxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cGOLF COURSESxe2x80x9d, etc.
In a preferred embodiment, there is provided a second memory storing a table in which a particular behavioral schedule correlates with a predetermined combination of the destination groups, which is referred to by the first display control means. The display may randomly represent a predetermined combination of the destination groups. Alternatively, the display may represent a predetermined combination of the destination groups in a predetermined order, in which case the table also indicates priority in representation of the destination groups. The priority is determined also depending upon the user""s behavioral schedule. A predetermined combination of the destination groups may extend over several group selection menu pictures, which may appear on the display with a predetermined priority.
In determination of the destination groups that should first appear on the display, the first display control may consider user-related information such as user""s age and sex, in addition to the user""s behavioral schedule.
The display may be a CRT or a liquid crystal display. Any of the first to third input means may comprise a voice recognition device through which the user""s voice is analyzed and converted into a corresponding data signal. The input means may also comprise a touch panel coupled with the display, or any other device. In an actual design, a single input means may be provided for executing the function of any pair or all of the first to third input means.
Several items are in advance defined as the user""s behavioral schedule, which items may include, for example, xe2x80x9cDATExe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cWITH FAMILYxe2x80x9d, xe2x80x9cAIMLESSxe2x80x9d, etc. These items are represented on the display and may be selected by the user through operation of the first input means. In a preferred embodiment, the first input means cooperates with voice output means that produces a question about the user""s behavioral schedule. In this embodiment, the first input means preferably comprises a microphone through which the user""s answer to the question is input and a voice recognition device that analyzes the inputted user""s answer. In another preferred embodiment, the first input means comprises a touch panel on the display showing a list of predetermined items of the user""s behavioral schedule, one of which may be selected by a finger touch with a corresponding column appearing on the display.
In accordance with a modified aspect of the present invention, the user""s behavioral schedule is not input by the user. Accordingly, there is provided a destination input device in a vehicle navigation system that determines drive route from a current position to a destination to be inputted by a user, comprising a memory that stores a plurality of destinations which are categorized into several groups; inference means that infers a behavioral schedule of the user; first display control means for controlling the display to provide a group selection menu picture representing a predetermined combination of the groups in accordance with the user""s behavioral schedule inferred by said inference means; first input means for selecting a specific one of the groups appearing on said display; second display control means that control said display to represent destinations included in the selected group; and second input means for selecting a desired destination from among those appearing on said display. Preferably, the inference means infers the user""s behavioral schedule in accordance with one or more items of user-related, pre-stored data selected from a group consisting of user-related data including the user""s age and sex, the user""s tastes or favorites and present season, day and time. For example, when it is at around noon, the inference means infers that the user may wish to have a lunch, so that the display is controlled to provide the group selection menu picture that includes xe2x80x9cRESTAURANTSxe2x80x9d with a greater priority. In the winter season, the inference means may infer that the user might wish to go skiing, so that the group selection menu picture appearing on the display should include xe2x80x9cSKIING GROUNDSxe2x80x9d. In this modification, since the user""s behavioral schedule is inferred automatically, the user may be freed from input operations.
In accordance with still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a destination input device in a vehicle navigation system that determines drive route from a current position to a destination to be input by a user, comprising first input means for inputting a behavioral schedule of the user a first memory that stores a table defining a correlation between a particular behavioral schedule and a predetermined combination of destination groups, each destination group including destinations that have been categorized thereinto; first display control means for controlling a display to provide a group selection menu picture representing a predetermined number of the destination groups that are stored in said table of said first memory as being correlated with the user""s behavioral schedule inputted by said first input means; second input means for selecting a specific one of the groups appearing on said display; second display control means for controlling the display to provide a destination selection menu picture representing a plurality of destinations included in the selected group; and third input means for selecting a desired destination from among those appearing on the display.
In the present invention, the group selection menu picture appearing on the display represents a predetermined number of the destination groups because of the limited size of the display screen. Accordingly, each destination group is preferably assigned with a priority in representation on the display, in accordance with the input or inferred behavioral schedule of the user. Of course, the number of the destination groups that can be shown on the display screen may be changed and selected by the user""s operation.
In a preferred embodiment, there is provided a second memory that stores past records of the user""s behavioral schedule input by the first input means in combination with the destination group subsequently selected by the second input means. The table stored in the first memory may be renewed to update the user""s behavior patterns, with reference to the past records stored in the second memory.